Top 50 genomic Holstein bulls are all over 792 Net Merit.

Big changes and much stricter rules are looking very likely.

by Hoard's Dairyman staff

Enormous change appears to be coming in the way dairies and other livestock operations are accustomed to using pharmaceuticals on their animals, says Christine Hoang, D.V.M. and Assistant Director of the Scientific Activities Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Much stricter laws about the use of cephalosporins, including any use not stated on the label and any use for disease prevention, go into effect today (April 6). Longer term, she says the Food and Drug Administration is considering much tougher laws about extralabel use of antimicrobials in general, and their subtherapeutic use in feeds in particular. Read more

One of the U.S.’s most prominent dairymen looked into his renewable crystal ball.

Mike McCloskey, D.V.M., may be a name you are familiar with. Or another name, Fair Oaks Farms, might ring a bell. Whether or not those are familiar, you should know that Mike McCloskey is the president and owner of Fair Oaks Farms, a farm run by the Bos, den Dulk, McCloskey, Schakel, and Van Ravenswaay families.

The group’s dairy interests run outside of Fair Oaks Farms, and the Fair Oaks Dairy Adventure (a tour through one free stall barn at their 30,000-cow complex in northwest Indiana), including a big dip into renewable energy.

Get Washington, D.C. attorney Gary Baise (pictured) started on the Environmental Protection Agency. Please. It won’t take much. Be sure to listen carefully — and be prepared to be frightened and angered in ways you may not have been before. Read more